The days dragged on, filled with that same inevitable slowness. Léa, despite her outward appearance, could no longer fully hide her exhaustion. Dylan did everything he could to lighten her days, but he knew that, deep inside, Léa still felt trapped in the whirlwind of thoughts and doubts that assailed her.
That morning, she woke up early. It had become a habit, waking before dawn to be alone with her thoughts. She walked to the window, staring at the view, her mind drowning in a sea of reflection. For the past few days, she had felt something heavier than usual. A sensation she had tried to ignore, but it was beginning to become unbearable. A secret she had kept to herself, something she had never dared to share with Dylan.
She felt stuck, trapped in her own silence. Her hands trembled slightly as she touched the surface of the glass, searching for an answer she didn't know how to form. The secret she hid from Dylan wasn't about her illness or even her painful past, but something even more intimate.
This secret had been buried for years, too long. It had grown inside her, devouring her thoughts, but each time, she convinced herself that it was better that way, that it was too late to say anything. Yet now, with Dylan by her side, she could no longer ignore the truth that was consuming her.
She knew that sooner or later, she would have to tell him. He deserved to know. But how could she confess without breaking him?
When Dylan entered the room a few minutes later, a tired but sincere smile on his face, she felt a pang in her heart. He didn't know yet, but that wouldn't last. She turned toward him, a burning question in her eyes. He looked at her, slightly surprised, before walking toward her.
"Have you been here long?" he asked, joining her, his hand gently resting on her shoulder.
She nodded without responding immediately. The weight of her words was stuck in her throat. "Dylan…" she began, hesitating. "I… I need to talk to you about something."
Her heart beat faster. He leaned slightly toward her, concern growing. "What is it, Léa? You know you can tell me anything."
She took a deep breath, trying to find the strength to say what she dreaded. Her eyes dropped, unable to meet his gaze. "I… I haven't been completely honest with you. There's something I've never wanted to tell you, and I think… I think it's time I talk to you about it."
Dylan stared at her, his own concern growing as she spoke. He straightened up slightly, waiting, but his expression betrayed a slight nervousness.
"There are things in my past… that I've always kept secret, things I've been afraid to tell you. But I can't live with this burden anymore, I can't keep hiding this from you."
The words were stuck in her throat, but Dylan, sensing her distress, moved closer and held her in his arms. "Léa, I'm here. You can tell me whatever you want. Whatever it is, we'll face it together."
She pulled back slightly, finally looking him in the eyes, searching in them for the strength she couldn't find within herself. "I… I didn't tell you everything about my illness, Dylan. It's not just the current situation… there's something more. When I told you I didn't have much time, I… I didn't tell you everything."
Dylan froze, his arms loosening slightly around her. "What do you mean by that?"
Léa bit her lower lip, trying to find the right words. "A few months ago, before we met, I had genetic testing done. They found a rare mutation, something even the doctors couldn't explain properly. It's this mutation that triggered everything…"
The words hung in the air, heavy and overwhelming. Dylan stared at her for a moment, his mind trying to process what she had just confided in him. "Wait… you mean they know what's making you sick?"
She nodded, but the sadness in her eyes hurt him. "Yes, but there's nothing that can be done. It's a progressive genetic disease, and it's affecting me slowly. I knew about it long before we met, but I never wanted to tell you. I was afraid you'd see me differently."
Dylan took a deep breath. Suddenly, the room seemed to close in around them. He had always known there was something more to this story, something she was hiding. But the weight of what she had just said paralyzed him.
"Léa…" he murmured, almost desperately. "You… you lied to me?"
"No, I didn't lie," she answered quickly, her hands nervously twisting. "I just… kept silent. Because I knew that if I told you, you'd feel obligated to change everything, to save me, and I didn't want that. I didn't want to give you false hope. I didn't want you to be stuck with someone who… who isn't going to survive much longer."
Dylan felt his heart tighten. The pain in her eyes, in her voice, hit him hard. He pulled back slightly, overwhelmed by a storm of conflicting emotions. How could she have carried this burden alone, without ever telling him? He didn't feel betrayed in the sense that he had been lied to. He felt betrayed by the situation itself, by the injustice of it all.
"You… you wanted to protect me?" he said in a broken voice.
"Yes," she answered, her eyes filled with tears she had tried to hold back. "But I didn't want you to feel like you had to save me. And I didn't want you to stay with me out of pity."
Dylan closed his eyes for a moment, breathing deeply. Then he turned toward her, a faint smile appearing on his lips. "Léa, I'm with you because I love you. And if that means going through all of this by your side, then I'll do it. Because to me, you're not a burden. You're everything I want."
She looked at him, surprised and moved. She had never imagined that her confessions could bring him even closer. Yet, in that moment, she understood that her secret, as heavy as it was, did not have the power to separate them. Together, they could face anything.
And even though the future remained uncertain, they had one precious thing: each other.